Car refrigeration means



Oct. 2, 1934. F. J. DAY 1,975,351

CAR REFRIGERATION MEANS Filed Oct. l1, 19432 ATTONEK' Patented Oct. 2, 1934 UNITED y STATES PATENToFFlcl-z -f 7 Claims.

My invention relates to means for refrigerating cars such as those used to transport perishable foodstuffs. It is necessary that many of such perishable foodstuis be pre-cooled or, in

other Words, rapidly brought to a low temperature so that ripening or deterioration will be immediately retarded. Where such pre-cooling is employed, farm or ranch products may be picked in a riper state and will accordingly have 19 a better color and avor when delivered to the consumer.

The prior practice of pre-cooling perishable products in cars provided with ice bunkers at the ends thereof has been to hold such cars at their point of loading so that by mechanical means a current of cold air may be forced through the car to rapidly dissipate the heat of the products therein, it being customary to employ an external blower mounted on a truck and connected to 20 the ice bunkers through use of a flexible conduit or to mount fan members in or at the upper ends of the bunkers for forcibly circulating air through a path Which extends through the ice bunkers and the storage space of the car. During the circulation of air by these fans, the hatches of the ice bunkers may be open to ldraw in cool night air from the exterior.

1t is an object of my invention to provide an improved and simple means whereby time may be saved in thek loading and transporting of perishable products to a point of delivery, such means being adapted to perform a pre-cooling operation while the car is standing and While it is being transported. Accordingly, a car may be quickly loaded, the pre-cooling means started, and such .car may then be immediately started on its Way to its destination, the pre-cooling means operating to reduce the temperature of the perishable products in a minimum length of time and then being shut off either automatically by a thermostatic means or manually, as may be desired. I

, It is an object of my invention to provide in a refrigerator car of the character above discussed a bunker or source of refrigerating capacity communicating with the storage space of the car through an opening having a fan therein and through one or more additional openings having cover members which are closed during the forced circulation of air by use of the fan to accomplish the desired pre-cooling of the car and are opened after completion of the pre-cooling operation and shutting off of the fan so that ample space will be provided for communication each bunker, such as the upper opening thereof, 65 y has a circulating fan disposed therein and doors to cover the remaining parts of the opening at the sides of the fan. These doors are closed during the operation of the fan so that the iiow of air produced by the fan may be definitely controlled, and are opened after the pre-cooling operation is completed so that ample space will be provided for the normal thermal circulation of air during the period in which the products are kept in the car after the completion of the precooling operation.

The auxiliarydoors mentioned in the preceding paragraph may be operated from Within the car, as will be hereinafter disclosed, .but it is an object of my invention to provide doors which 8 0 may'be released to open position by means operable from the exterior of the car, thereby making it unnecessary to open the car after it has been loaded and sealed until its final destination has been reached and it is desired to unload the same, for in the practice of my invention the precooling operation may be controlled from the exterior of the car, and after the completion of such pre-cooling operation the circulating fans may be turned off and the auxiliary doors opened without the necessity of the operator entering the car.

Further objects and advantages of the invention Will be set forth in the following part of the specication. f

Referring to the drawing, which is for illustrative purposes only,

Fig. 1 is a partly sectioned perspectiveeleva tion showing a refrigerator car employing a, preferred embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on a plane represented by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross section showing an alternative means for mounting the circulation-controlling `doors which cooperate with the circulation fans.

The refrigerator car 11 shown in Fig. 1 is broken away so as to disclose Within the car a storage space 12 and walls 13 near the ends of the car to form bunkers 14 which constitute the refrigerating elements and may be lled with no chunks of ice through hatches 15 provided with covers 16. In each of the walls 13 it is preferable to provide upper and lower openings 17 and 18 which are preferably substantially the full width of the interior of the car 11 sc as to provide.

ample circulation of cold air through the ice bunkers 14 and the storage space 12. The upper opening 17 of each bunker 14 is iitted with a frame or panel 19 having a central fan opening 20 in which a fan 21 is mounted and is adapted to be driven by means of an electric motor 22. On opposite sides of the fan opening 20, the frame 19 has openings 23 aligned with the ends of the opening 17, and extending vertically at the sides of the openings 23 are slides 24 of U-shaped form in which metal doors 25 are vertically slidable between open and closed position relative to the openings 23. It will be understood that the frame 19 may be readiiy mounted over the upper opening of an ice bunker in a standard refrigerator car, or such :frame 19 may be built into the wall structure 13 of new refrigerator cars. Mounted on the car l1 at an end thereof is an electrical connector or receptacle 26 into which an external electrical cord 27 may be plugged when the car is standing. This receptacle 26 is connected through wires 28 and 29 with the upper contacts 31 of double-throw switches 32 and 33 for controlling the motors22 disposed at opposite ends of the car 11. These double-throw switches 32 and 33 are shown with knife contacts 34 which are connected to the motors 22 through wires 35 and 36 and are adapted to engage the upper contacts 3l or lower contacts 37 which, through wires 38 and 39, are connected with a generator 41 forming a power source connected with the car 1l so as to move therewith and to be operated through a belt 42 which extends to a pulley 43 mounted on an axle oi the car 11, when the car is in motion. Y

rThe operation of the invention ,is substantially as follows: Prior to the loading of the car, the auxiliary doors 25 are raised to cover the openings 23, and loops 45 thereon are engaged by hooks 46 mounted on a laterally extending bar 47 having an end 48 thereof projecting through the Wall of the refrigerator car and being provided with a handle 49. The bunkers are filled with ice, and the storage space 12 of the car l1 is loaded. During or after the loading of the car, but preferably after it is loaded and the doors communicating with the storage space 12 are closed, the motors 22 are driven so as to operate the fans 21 so as to circulate air through the bunkers and through the storage space, whereby to accomplish a desired pre-cooling of the load carried in the storage space 12.

While the car is waiting to be picked up by an engine or joined to a train, the motors 22 are driven by power from a source outside the car by plugging the electric cord 27 into the receptacle 26, it being understood that the cord 27 is connected to electrical power service. The knife contacts 34 of the switches 32 and 33 are swung into engagement with the contacts 31, and accordingly electric current is supplied through the wires 35 and 36 to the fan motors 22. When it is desired to move the car and to include it in a train, the cord 27 is detached, and the contact blades 34 of the switches 32 and 33 are swung downwardly into engagement with the lower contacts 37, with the result that movement of the car will operate the generator 41 which in turn will supply electric current through the wires 38 and 39 to the wires 35 and 36 which connect to the motors 22.

Therefore, the pre-cooling operation may be started while the car is standing and waiting to be picked up by a train, and completed While the car is being moved toward its point of destination as a part of such train. When a desired pre-cooling of the products in the storagespace 12 of the car has been accomplished, the handles 49 are moved either manually or by use of thermostatically controlled apparatus to pull 4fthe hooks 46 from the loops 45, releasing the doors 25 and permitting them to slide downwardly in the slides 24 to the lower positions in which they are shown in Fig. 1. The upper opening 17 of each bunker is then substantially fully uncovered, and a thermal circulation of refrigerated air downwardly through the ice bunkers and outwardly and upwardly within the storage space 12 may occur during the remainder of the time that the load is kept within the storage space 12.

As shown in Fig. 3, each of the openings 17 may be provided with a door 5D to the side of ie motor 22 mounted on hinges 51 so that it may swing outwardly and downwardly from the position in which it is shown in full lines to the dotted line position 52. For holding the door 50 in closed position, a simple latch 53 may be mounted thereon in position to engage a dog -54.

Although I have herein shown and described my invention in simple and practical form, it is recognized that certain parts or elements thereof are representative of other parts, elements, or mechanisms which may be used in substantially the same manner to accomplish substantially the same results; therefore, -it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope ci the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

i. A means of the character described for a car having a wall therein forming a bunker, said wall having upper vand lower openings for connecting said bunker with the storage space oi said car, including: door means adjustably mounted on said wall to close part of said upper opening during the pre-cooling of said car; a fan set in the remaining part of said upper opening to provide a now o air through a path including the interior of said bunker and the storage space of said car; and means for driving said fan, said door means being releasable to open position after the completion of the pre-cooling operation so as to permit a normal thermal circulation of said air through said path.

2. A means of the character described for a car having a wall therein forming a bunker, said wall having upper and lower openings for connecting said bunker with the storage space of said car, including: door means adapted to close part of one of said openings during the pre-cooling of said car; a fan set in-the remaining part of said one of said openings to provide a flow of air through a path including the interior of said bunker and the storage space of said car; and means for driving said fan.

3. A means of the character described for a car having a wall therein forming a bunker, said wall having upper and lower openings for connecting said bunker with the storage space of said car, including: door means adapted to close part of one of said openings during the pre-cooling of said car; a fan set in the remaining part of said one of said openings to provide a flow of air vthrough a path including the interior of said bunker and the storage space of said car; and means for driving said fan, said door means being releasable to open position after the completion of the precooling operation so as to permit a normal thermal circulation of said air through said path.

4. A means of the character described for a car having a wall therein forming a bunker, said Wall having upper and lower openings for connecting said bunker with the storage space of said car, including: a plurality of doors adjustably mounted'on said wall and adapted to clo'se part of said upper opening during the pre-cooling of said car; a fan setin the remaining part of said upper opening to provide a flow of air through a path including the interior of said bunker and the storage space of said car; means for driving said fan, said doors being releasable to open position after the completion of the pre-cooling operation so as to permit a normal thermal circulation of said air through said path; and means operable from a point outside said car to release said door means to said open position.

5. A means of the character described for a car having a wall therein forming a bunker, said wall having an opening for connecting said bunker with the storage space of said car, including: door means adapted to close part of said opening during the pre-cooling of said car; a fan set in the remaining part of said opening to provide a ilow of air through a path extending within said bunker and the storage space of said car; means for driving said fan from a source of power outside said cai` while said car y is standing; means connected to said car so as to move therewith for supplying power to drive said fan while said car is in movement,A said door means being releasable to open position' after the completion of thel pre-cooling operation so as to permit a normal thermal circulation of said air through said path; and means operable from a pointremote from said door means to release said door means to said open position.

6. In a refrigerator car, the combination of: an ice bunker providing a wall having an upper opening communicating between said bunker and the interior of said car; door means detachably mounted on said wall and adapted to close part of said opening; and a fan disposed in said opening between said door means so as to provide a ow of air through a path including the interior of said bunker and said car, said door means being releasable to'open position so as to permit a normal thermal circulation of air through said path.

'1. A combination as set forth in claim 6 including a means for releasing said door means which is actuated exteriorly of the car.

FRED JOHN DAY. 

